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UTILITY WEEK | 18TH - 24TH NOVEMBER 2016 | 31 Community 'Are you sure, Mr President?' Well, no-one saw that one coming. Donald Trump is going to be the next president of the USA. It tops off what most people would agree has been a very strange year. Not only have famous celebrities being dying with what seems like indecent haste, but so have political systems. So, just as the UK has decided to cut its shackles with Europe and pursue a free trade jamboree with the rest of the world, America has decided that the free trade party is over and is putting up walls – both literal and metaphorical – against all things un-America, and that includes religions, commerce and Mexicans. The stock markets, mean- while, continue their serene rise unperturbed by events in the "real" world. Banking cri- sis? Zero interest rates? Brexit, Trump… not bothered, mate. Up and up we go. It would take the arrival of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse to bother the whales of London and Wall Street, and even then they'd probably just transfer their funds into hay and horse tack. At the time of writing, no- one knows exactly what policies Trump will pursue, although for one industry it is likely to be very, very bad: renewables. Climate change represents everything Trump detests: it's expensive, complicated to understand and leaves you at the mercy of "experts" in so- called "science". Which means it's all a big con on the ordinary working stiff who's just trying to build a golf course in Scot- land without having his view obscured by windfarms. The Donald doesn't believe that climate change is real, so he's not going to have any truck with costly and inconvenient remedies. What that means for the US renewables industry and global climate change agree- ments will become apparent in due course. Hydro is a load of rot Even hydro power, the main- stay of renewable baseload generation, turns out to inadvertently cause emissions, because of the rotting vegeta- tion it causes, according to a study published in BioScience. There is currently a boom worldwide in the building of hydroelectric dams as countries strive to meet their emissions obligations, but researchers have found that rotting vegeta- tion in the water means dams emit about a billion tonnes of greenhouse gases every year. This accounts for 1.3 per cent of total annual emissions resulting from human activities. It's the law of unintended consequences. Like when you elect a deranged orange-faced property developer to lead the free world – it doesn't turn out well. Ups and downs of wave power Hooray for Australian firm Carnegie Wave Energy, which has decided to establish a base in Cornwall to be part of the UK's Wave Hub initiative, which enables wave developers to field test their technology on a purpose-built offshore grid. Carnegie hopes its 1MW Ceto 6 device will have the chops to justify the rollout of a commercial six-device, 15MW array in 2020, assuming its £15 million Wave Hub trial is successful – a trial for which the EU fronted 65 per cent of the cost, Disconnector notes mournfully. Disconnector Editor, Utility Week, and content director, Utilities: Ellen Bennett, t: 01342 332084, e: ellenbennett@fav-house.com; Acting editor: Jane Gray, t: 01342 332087, e: janegray@ fav-house.com; Insights editor: Mathew Beech, t: 01342 332082, e: mathewbeech@fav-house. com; News editor: Lois Vallely, t: 01342 332080, e: loisvallely@fav-house.com; Networks correspondent: Lucinda Dann, t: 01342 332083, e: lucindadann@fav-house.com; Reporters: Saffron Johnson, t: 01342 332050, e: saffronjohnson@fav-house.com and Tom Grimwood, t: 01342 332061, e: tomgrimwood@fav-house.com; Business development manager: Richard Powell, t: 01342 332062, e: richardpowell@fav-house.com; Business development executive: Nigel Searle, t: 01342 332009, e: nigelsearle@fav-house.com; Publisher: Amanda Barnes, e: amandabarnes@ fav-house.com. General enquiries: 01342 332000; Membership enquiries: Peter Bissell, t: 01342 332507, e: peterbissell@fav-house.com. ISSN: 1356-5532. Registered as a newspaper at the Post Office. Printed by: Buxton Press, Palace Road, Buxton, Derbyshire SK17 6AE. Published by: Faversham House Ltd, Windsor Court, Wood Street, East Grinstead, West Sussex RH19 1UZ 3,580 Average circulation Jan–Dec 2015 Membership subscriptions: UK £637 per year. Overseas £749 per year. Contact Peter Bissell on: 01342 332507 Utility Week is a member of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (which regulates the UK's magazine and newspaper industry). We abide by the Editors' Code of Practice and are committed to upholding the highest standards of journalism. If you think that we have not met those standards and want to make a complaint please contact the editor, Ellen Bennett, at ellenbennett@fav-house.com. If we are unable to resolve your complaint, or if you would like more information about IPSO or the Editors' Code, contact IPSO on 0300 123 2220 or visit www.ipso.co.uk Neil @_Enanem_ Ok, don't panic… If we hold the North and South Pole down simultaneously for eight seconds, it'll automatically restore to factory settings. Nick Hurd MP @nickhurdmp Clear signals today of UK Govt commitment to cleaner energy. Coal closure consultation & detail on next stage of support for renewables. Big Fudge @quinn_r99 Heads up to any Trump supporter, coal is a dead industry and Trump isn't going to bring it back. Sorry. Glen Peters @Peters_Glen The US only emits 15% of global CO2 emissions; Solar, wind, gas are out competing coal in the US #ParisAgreement & #COP22 will survive Trump Edward Davey @EdwardJDavey PM May must raise climate in first talk with Trump & urge him to consult allies before deciding whether to withdraw US from UN agreements. William Marchant @richonlyinname *speaks into dictaphone* "Policy idea: we could eradicate fuel poverty immediately by expressing the cost of energy in 1955 prices." Dr. Jill Stein @DrJillStein Being pro-fracking is a form of climate denial. For our water, our air, & our children's future, we need to #BanFracking. #ItsInOurHands American Wind Energy @AWEA #Windpower fact of the day: U.S. wind has tripled in size since 2008. #windenergy #windworks Greenpeace UK @GreenpeaceUK 2016 will be the hottest year on record (for the 3rd year in a row), UN says Top Tweets